Friday, April 18, 2014

Setting the Scene for Easter Weekend

This is my wish list of props that I think would set the perfect mood for Easter weekend:

1. Baby chickens!!! (of course)

2. Easter eggs

3. Easter eggs that become Easter chicks (also, of course!)

4. A fuzzy white bunny with long pink ears

5. Baby cows

6. Lambs

7. Chocolate

8. Panda cows with babies

9. Turtle (Turtles are not classic Easter, I know, but nothing sets a scene like a turtle.)

10. Spring wildflowers

11. May apples

12. A morel mushroom

13. Fiddle heads

14. A walk in the early spring woods

15. Red bud trees in full bloom

16. Frog eggs

17. Tadpoles

18. More baby chickens (the more the better!)

19. And children with kites

Fortunately, I have had all of these things in the last week, so I am perfectly primed to enjoy the upcoming Easter weekend. Starting with the arrival of chicks from the eggs I put in the incubator. The adorable yellow chick at the top of the page greeted me at the office this morning. Number 1 - Hello Easter!

It's just not Easter without Number 2 - Easter Eggs. These are the eggs as I saw them before I left the office on Wednesday morning. I have been away from the office so much in the past twenty-one days, that I was convinced this would not be a successful hatch. At various times I let the water dry up, the temperature got too high or too low. But, these are some tough eggs!

And this is what greeted me at the office when I arrived this morning - seven perfectly formed Easter chicks, with more on the way. Hooray for Number 3!

On a visit to Joe's farm last Sunday, I got to see his newest additions to the farm. By far the most adorable addition is his new baby (yes, an actual human baby), who is almost seven weeks old, and already accompanies his dad on farm tours. I really wish I had taken a photo of Joe hopping electric wire in the cow pasture while burping his baby and holding the baby's pacifier in his own mouth. Joe, with baby in tow, led us to the barn, where he introduced me to his new meat rabbits. This big fuzzy lady with long pink ears is perfect to satisfy Number 4 on my wish list.

Joe was hopping fences so he could show us the new calves that were recently born at the farm. This little girl with brown back and white face was my favorite.

While Joe does have sheep at his farm, it got dark before I really got to see them, but I don't have to miss out on Number 6, because my boss treated us with these funny cupcakes today. And some of them were chocolate - which perfectly combines Number 6 and Number 7 on my list - chocolate lambs.

This is one of Joe's cows with a panda face, and this is her first calf ever. Joe says she's a really good mom. Turns out panda cows with babies are perfect for Easter. Who knew?

While working out of town this week, we met this impressive snapping turtle. He was quickly walking away from us, but when we approached he turned around to offer me this friendly hissing smile.

Trillium in the forest.

And may apples. Thousands of them popping up through the leaves on the steep slopes where we work working. I know that if I come back to this same spot late this summer there will be little evidence that they were here.

The friend I was working with said to look for morel mushrooms when the may apples pop up, and the leaves on the trees are the size of a mouses ear. Wouldn't you know, I found one! My first ever. I didn't pick it, but we were very excited to actually see one. Now that I've seen a morel in the week prior to Easter, I will always keep my eyes peeled when I see mouse sized leaves and may apples around Easter time.

Number 13 on my list of ideal Easter props is fiddle heads. I love to see the ferns uncoiling in the early spring. It almost seems like I can see it happening. If I didn't have work to do, I would have planted myself in front of a fern for a while and watched to see if it really was uncoiling before my eyes. I love time lapse videos of plants growing, and ferns are some of the best.

A walk in the early spring woods to see the wildflowers is the perfect way to set the mood for the season, and getting to spend a couple days working outside in the sun and forest makes it easy to forget that I get paid for this!

The red bud trees are blooming everywhere I go right now, and I think they are the perfect spring color.

I tried sniffing the flowers, but I couldn't detect a smell.

Check out the massive balls of frog eggs we saw in a small stream yesterday. Hundreds and hundreds of eggs.

When I looked closely at one of the eggs, the little tadpole in the center was still very formless, but I'm still counting it toward Number 17.

Most of the newly hatched chicks are a dark color like this one, being held by a friend and coworker. Its so much fun to have chicks hatching at the office, especially when it's timed perfectly to happen on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Everyone is in the mood to admire new life on a Friday.

Number 19 - Children with Kites. This includes big kids too, like Brandon when he gets nailed by a falling kite, but even better was when my nephew visited the farm last Sunday and we spent some time flying the kite in the sun. My wish list is complete. I'm ready for the Easter weekend, are you?

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International Blue

A journal of creating a home in an old blue school bus, as well as a do-it-yourself farm house renovation, living with backyard chickens, learning to farm, gardening, preserving food, and other projects.